Fresh City Closes Original Location in Newton After 20 Years

NEEDHAM, MA - As the strip along Needham Street continues to build up, a couple of local spots are shuttering their doors. First New England Mobile Book Fair announced it was closing soon then it was Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS), and then last Friday, Fresh City turned the open sign to closed for good. The closures are symbolic of high rent, competition for business and timing plaguing the strip, say some business owners.

"It's never been super busy," said Newton resident Christin Caplan who walked over from the TJ Maxx for a bite to eat when she noticed the sign on Fresh City's door Thursday. She said she'd just have to go to one of the other options nearby.

And that is part of the problem, Fresh City's owner Pete Minich told Patch. "It's sad, but it's increasingly difficult to survive here," he said. As the number of restaurants and cafes have increased in the area, he said his business felt it.

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After two decades in the location across the street from TJ Maxx and Starbucks, the first Fresh City closed for a couple of reasons.

"First off, traffic is just brutal here. And then the loss of businesses like TripAdvisor, Clarks and Verizon - all those bodies left and business went with it," he said. Add that to how difficult it was to recruit employees, adding none of his lived in Newton.

Another reason had to do with news that there was a proposal on the table for demolition of the plaza coming down the line at some point.

"The timing was just right," he said. "It was a business decision."

(Pete Minich closing up shop Thursday afternoon in Newton, photo by Jenna Fisher, Patch Staff)

That said, it's not necessarily goodbye to Newton. Minich said some Fresh City employees would slide over to the Natick location, which will be home base, along with the JP spot, for his catering business which he had plans to grow.

"It's sad to leave Newton, we love Newton. We hope to be back if we can find the right place," he said.

The chain was known for its smoothies, burritos soups and salads. The Village 14 blog posted first that it closed on Monday. The restaurant's website no longer lists the Newton location.

Minich and his wife live in Situate, though his wife is from Newton. He says he was the third owner of the company. The Culinary Institute of America graduate bought it in 2014. There are nine franchises left, he said, in addition to the catering business, which (ahem) caters to mostly businesses.

What's the deal with Radio Shack?

Today signs next door at Radio Shack shout going out of business. The manager there told Patch the last day there is May 31. The company filed for bankruptcy in March for the second time in a just more than two years. Originally his store was slated to be one of the last standing, he told a customer Thursday.

And the New England Mobile Book Fair?

In March, owner Tom Lyons told Wicked Local he had to close the store on Needham Street, calling it a painful decision. “The overhead is so onerous," he said. “It’s been a struggle to pay for [rent] ... I can’t afford it anymore.”

But he also mentioned he was looking for a more affordable spot to set up shop, and an understanding landlord. He told the TAB he was supposed to leave by the end of April, but as of May 4 the Open Sign was still on. Update soon.

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